Coming Home
by Rose's Heart
Summary: Elizabeth has lived without Will for 10 years. They have a son, that Will doesn't know about. And it's time for him to come home.


"Jack!"

Elizabeth's voice echoed throughout the hills as she called for her son.

"Jack! Jack, it's time for dinner!"

"I'm coming Mother."

As Jack ran up from the shore of the island where they lived, wind ruffling his hair, Elizabeth felt her heart tug. He looked just like his father. The spitting image of Will. Feeling herself begin to ache with longing for her absent husband, Elizabeth pushed any and all thoughts of William Turner to the back of her mind. Kneeling down, blonde curls tangling in the fierce summer wind, she opened her arms, inviting Jack to run into them. Jack doubled his speed at the sight of his mother, and as he barreled into Elizabeth, she laughed. Losing her balance, she toppled over, Jack on top of her. As Elizabeth tickled his feet and stomach, Jack giggled breathlessly, his eyes squeezed tight in merriment. Elizabeth chuckled, her eyes twinkling with mirth. Soon exhausted, the two lay in the tall grass, light hair mingling with dark. Feeling completely at peace, Elizabeth heaved a sigh, hating to break the quiet moment, but knowing that dinner would soon be ruined if she didn't.

"Come on Jack." she said, pulling her son up, " Time to go home."

Jack's adorable face twisted into a pout.

"Oh, you shush, " Elizabeth laughed gently, kissing the frown from his face. "Go on, run ahead. See if you can beat me."

Jack's eyes lit up at the idea, " What do I win?"

"Hmmm......" she pretended to ponder the question. " How about the knowledge that you beat your old mom."

"You're not old." Jack protested halfheartedly, but was running before he had finished.

As she watched her son run swiftly through the fields towards the little cabin they called home, Elizabeth let her thoughts float back to her William. 9 and a half years. She hadn't seen him in 9 and a half years. 9 and a half years since she had felt his lips on hers, had seen his smile. Elizabeth knew this was how it had to be. Will had been stabbed in the battle with Davy Jones. He would have been gone. He was. But Jack, dear Jack. Thanks to Jack, Will had taken the place of Davy Jones, ferrying those who died to the next world. So Elizabeth still had her love. But at a price. Will could only set foot on land once every ten years. And only for a day. The last night they had had to together had been the night Jack was conceived. Will hadn't even met his son.

Coming over a rise and catching sight of her cabin, Elizabeth was shocked to find her face wet. She hadn't even realized that she'd started to cry. Wiping them away with the hem of her apron, Elizabeth gave a dry sob. Then setting her shoulders, she walked inside.

"It's just a few more months." She told herself. "Just a few more months and then he'll be in your arms. Just a few more months and we can be a family."

"Alright Jack," Elizabeth walked across the dusty driftwood floor " get out some plates, and spoons. Then, wash your hands in the water in that bucket over there." Satisfied that he was doing as she had asked, she

turned to the oven. Behind her, Elizabeth heard Jack's movements as she took the hot pie out of it.

"Shoot!" Burning her fingers on the hot pan, Elizabeth dropped it on the counter and rushed to the barrel of water. Softly she sighed as the cool water soothed the burned pads of her fingers.

"Mother, are you alright?" Jack came up behind her with a towel.

"Oh love, don't you worry. I just burned my fingers. Nothing much." Elizabeth grinned at him, and he dazzled her back. Just for a moment, she thought she saw Will behind it. Giving herself a little shake, Elizabeth walked over to the counter where she had dropped the pan. This time picking it up carefully with the towel, she grabbed a knife out of a nearby drawer and set it on the table.

" Now be careful not to burn your tongue," Elizabeth warned Jack as she cut them both large pieces, sliding them onto the plates,"It's hot."

"Yes, Mother." Jack sighed as he took his food from her,"I know though. I'm not a child!"

Yes Jack." Elizabeth replied in the same tone as her son had to her. They both laughed.

"Now," she said as she settled into a chair. Leaning closer to Jack, her blue eyes intent of his face,"what have I ever told you about your father?"

"Nothing," Jack kept his face down, burning a hole in his plate with the intensity of his stare. Elizabeth felt the surprise radiating from his body. She knew she never talked about Will and felt a touch of sadness at the thought. But it was time to talk about him. Jack would meet his father in a few months. It was time he knew why Will hadn't been there, that he hadn't left them by choice. But they had 6 months to work up to that story. Tonight they would start at the beginning.

"The first time I met...." it was harder to say his name than she would have thought. Elizabeth swallowed the lump in her throat, "met Will, was on the crossing from England. I was eight years old. You see my mother had died when I was quite young, and Father was sent to Port Royal. I was standing at the bow of the ship one misty morning, singing a song of .... pirates." On that word, Jack grinned. Elizabeth shook her head indulgently. She should have known. What with his father being one and being named after one of the best pirate there ever was, why shouldn't he like the idea. It was like it had been programmed into him. "The sailors on the ship were very superstitious, and I soon had them all spitting against evil and telling me to stop. So I did. Soon I noticed parasols floating in the water. I was very confused and it didn't make any sense to me. I called my father over and he was just as perplexed. And then we saw it." Elizabeth paused dramatically.

"Saw what? Mother, don't stop!" Jack begged.

" Fire. Everywhere. Dead floating in the water, their last site in the world that of their dying loved ones." she stopped, the thought haunting her even now. " I was horrified. And then I saw Will. He was floating on a plank more dead than alive. The crew hauled him aboard. I was left in charge of him. I followed those carrying him and when they set him down on the hard ship's deck, I shooed them away.

Even half-drowned, he was beautiful. His skin looked like that of an angel, and his lips were so perfectly shaped....... I was so scared that he was an angel. That god had only lent him to this world for a few moments, so that we might know the true beauty of a paradise. I wiped his hair from his face and at my touch he woke. Catching only a glimpse of his beautiful chocolate eyes, he grabbed my arm, and we both jumped, him in alarm, me in surprise.

I took a deep breath, slowing down my racing heart,"It's all right," I told him, "My name's Elizabeth Swann."

"Wi-Will Turner." he croaked, shaking as him held onto me.

"I'm watching over you Will." I smiled at him.

He relaxed, as if those words were all that he had needed to calm him down. Will lay back down, and shut his eyes, dimples faintly touching his cheeks. I was happy that he was at peace, and I called a sailor over to bring him below deck. However, then I noticed something odd. There was a glimmer at Will's neck and I surreptitiously looked over my shoulder to see if anyone was coming yet. When I saw that they were still distracted, I leaned closer and drew a chain out of the inside of his shirt. On it was a golden medallion, illuminated softly in the grey light. A pirate's medallion.

I felt the world flood around me, colours blurring, voices mixing.

"You're a pirate."Horrified at the idea that the pirate penalty would befall this boy, I hid his necklace in my skirts. Looking up, I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping that when I opened them, this entire scene would cease to exist. What I received when I opened them was a nightmare.

A black ship. Black sails, torn and sagging, fluttering unwillingly in the silent breeze. Whispering across the water, leaving no trace behind it. A ghost ship. A demon ship. And, snapping in the wind, high on a mast, the Jolly Roger."

Opening her eyes, Elizabeth's gaze rested on her son, lying on the floor in the place he had moved to halfway through the story. When he had fallen asleep she did not know, but Elizabeth felt certain it was not out of boredom. She was telling him about his father. It was peace that had put William Turner's son to sleep.

Standing up, Elizabeth stretched. Grabbing a blanket from her bed, she lay it softly across her dreaming son. Stroking the hair away from his brow, just as she had done so many years ago for Will, she kissed his forehead.

Murmuring into the still night air she said, "I'm watching over you."

And it wasn't just her sleeping son she was talking to.

**6 Months Later**

"Up!"

A ship split the still mirror of an ocean, spray shooting up, dousing the seabirds that had been to foolish enough to fly over what a moment ago had been clear ocean.

"Steady....." The captain's voice was soft, and came from the dark figure standing at the bow of the ship, yet every corner of the world seemed able to hear. It demanded focus. But it exuded respect, "Steady men," The captain warned, his hands resting on a ebony railing, his eyes trained outwards, "Nice and easy....."

Slowly the majestic vessel calmed, cradled in the endless emerald water. Slowly letting out rope, the crew released the sail, until finally it snapped in the fierce wind.

Hearing steps on the solid floor behind him, William Turner angled his body around, catching sight of his first mate making his way up the stairs to Will's level.

"What's our heading, Cap'n?" the man asked. Years ago, this man would have been handsome. But years on life at sea and terrible labour on the decks of Davy Jones' ship had stripped Boot Strap Bill of any looks he might have possessed.

Will did not respond, lost in thought, his brown eyes staring unfocussed at the horizon.

"Sir...." Bootstrap was uncertain whether to interrupt. It didn't matter than Will was his son. He was his captain first.

Finally Will sighed, and wrenched his head away from the sea, turned golden by the setting sun.

"10 years." His words were barely above a breath, and were very weary, as though they had been repeated many times, "10 years at sea, one day on land." Speaking directly to Bootstrap now, Will answered his voice now discernible. "It's been 10 years. You know where to go Father. You know where I'm going."

Bootstrap held his son's gaze, not letting him turn away.

"Is this really a life?" He asked, softly so the rest of the crew couldn't hear, "For you or for her. It's not fair to either one of you. 10 years at sea, one day with her. It's not what you deserve. It's not what she deserves."

"And what does she deserve?" Will words were fierce with hidden anger, "Who? What?," he leaned in close to his father, "No. I may not deserve her, but I'm not letting her go. I'm never letting her go again. She chose. And she chose me."

Turning away from his father, Will's gaze fell back on the water. It was time to go home. It was time to go back to Elizabeth.

"Mother!"

Elizabeth was out the door of her cabin before Jack had finished calling her. It was almost as if her heart knew what was happening, knew that it was time.

"Mother! Mother, I see it! He's coming!"

Joy made her feet light. Feeling as though she was flying, Elizabeth sped over the uneven hills. She tripped once, but was up almost immediately. Will was coming. Nothing was going to stop her from getting to his side as soon as humanly possible.

She rounded the last crest and stopped beside Jack. Reaching down and taking his hand, she gripped it tightly, her heart fluttering in her chest, a caged bird struggling to get free.

A flash of light.

And then they saw him.

He was hanging onto the mast, up high in the rigging, as though hoping for a gust of wind that would catch him and bring him to their sides that much sooner. Elizabeth looked down at her son. Their son. His face was pale with excitement and his heart sporadically with her own.

"That's your father, Jack," Elizabeth said softly. " That's your father."

Simultaneously they started running. Running, pelting, galloping down the hill to the man they had been waiting for for so long. As they reached the shore, waves crashing into their feet, Elizabeth felt Jack drop his hand, but she couldn't stop. Not when she was so close to Will. Throwing herself into the water, she ran through it, knowing that she wouldn't have to make it to the ship, but needing to do something to get Will into her arms.

Will's dark figure jumped from the mast into the clear blue air and cleanly cleaved the water. Now at her waist, Elizabeth stopped, waiting for him, tears streaming down her face. He was coming. Will was coming.

Resurfacing a few feet away, Mr. and Mrs. Turner looked at each other. They packed 10 years worth of looks, of glances into 10 seconds. And then not able to bear it any longer, Will walked to Elizabeth, each step sure and true. And then, he was there. His arms grabbed her, pulling her into his embrace. Elizabeth lost her breath, but she didn't care. Tears still racing down her face, she burrowed in his shoulder. He smelled of sweat, and sea. He smelled like Will. She looked up and his eyes were intense with love and longing. Elizabeth felt her own desires mirrored in them.

"Will," Her voice was soft and muffled by tears.

"Elizabeth." He breathed her name, tasting, and enjoying every syllable. "There's something I've wanted to tell you everyday since the moment I met you," his eyes raked her face, rememorizing every line, "I love you."

Elizabeth's smile was radiant, glowing brighter and more beautiful than even the sun behind her, "My love. My William."

And then she crushed her lips to his. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and Will cupped her face, holding her close, never wanting to let her go. Not again. Elizabeth felt herself respond in ways she thought she had forgotten. Her lips molded to his and they became one. Forcing things out of each other they didn't think possible, they broke away gasping, only to dive back in desperate for more. After what seemed like only seconds, but was perhaps several days of sunshine in paradise, they split apart. Elizabeth's eyes were shining and she clung tightly to Will. He was in her arms now. She wasn't letting him go. Not now, not ever. Smiling gently at her, Will leaned forward, and kissed her neck. Elizabeth arched her back, and shut her eyes, reveling in the feeling, but she pulled away. There was a question in Will's eyes as he looked at her, and Elizabeth chuckled softly, kissing him on the nose.

"Would you like to meet your son?" she asked quietly, stroking one of his square hands.

"My son?" Will was perplexed, and he sharply glanced over her shoulder at the small figure playing in the sand. "My son." His dark face lit up as bright as a sunrise.

"Yes Will." Elizabeth's voice was full of love, "Our son."

He looked at her, his dark eyes burning into her soul. Pressing her once more to his body, Will picked her up in one swift moment. He began walking towards shore.

Elizabeth stayed there in his arms, completely at peace. Putting her head on his chest, she listened to the roar of the sea that had replaced Will's heartbeat. It was the most beautiful sound in the world, and at this moment, all Elizabeth wanted to do was listen to it.

Will's splashes soon gave way to the crunch of sand beneath his feet. Kissing her forehead, he set Elizabeth down, and hesitantly gazed at the little person standing awkwardly across from him. Father and son looked at each other for the first time. Elizabeth felt her heart well up as she noted the identical expressions on Will and Jack's familiar faces.

Crouching between them, she looked deep into her son's face.

"Jack," she whispered, joy making it too hard to speak at a normal pitch. "This is your father Jack. This is Will."

It seemed these were the only word's that Jack needed to release himself from his freeze. Pushing past his mother, Jack flung himself into his father's arms, and gripped him tightly around the waist. This seemed to wake Will up too. He wrapped his arms around his son, dark head bending down.

"My son." His voice was incredulous, still unable to believe it. He looked up at Elizabeth's beautiful face, and then back down at the dark head of Jack, so similar to his own. Extending an arm, Will pulled Elizabeth to his side, refusing to let go of the other precious thing in his arms.

"My family."


End file.
